AGRIBUSINESS: Push To Cut Biogas

In March, the Obama Administration released a plan to cut livestock biogas by a quarter by 2020.

Senator Chuck Grassley doesn’t agree with that plan. While it uses voluntary strategies to reduce livestock emissions, he’s skeptical about regulating greenhouse gasses until it’s done through global treaties. He says this is especially hard to do on farms.

According to the Economic Research Service, the agriculture sector produces about 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gasses. Despite being offset by forestry efforts, which removes 13 percent of U.S. emissions, livestock methane emissions make up around a fourth of total agriculture emissions.

Grassley says there needs to be more verification of what will happen as well as a cost-benefit analysis. He also does not know what happens to a farmer if the voluntary goals aren’t met.